Lou Gramm - Midnight Blue

"Midnight Blue" may not be the rarest song on ERV, but it has become something of a forgotten classic.  The song was the first single off Lou Gramm's 1987 solo record, Ready or Not, and it became a hit, reaching #5 on the charts.  In fact, Gramm had three solo top 40 hits, including "Just Between You and Me" (not the April Wine song) which was featured on ERV in April 2012 and "True Blue Love."

The Ready or Not LP was a collaboration between Gramm and Bruce Turgon, who had worked together in the band Black Sheep.  When Gramm joined Foreigner, Black Sheep disbanded and Turgon became a working musician in LA.  However, the two artists remained in touch, and as the chemistry in Foreigner deteriorated, Gramm invited Turgon to work with him on a solo project.

The video for "Midnight Blue" is pretty standard fare, but that doesn't make it bad.  By the by, the actress in the video is Traci Lind, who left the industry long ago (there is an interview with her on Noblemania for those who are interested), while the actor is Joe Holland, who died in 1994.

While "Midnight Blue" may not have broken any new ground creatively, it is a damn fine rock song, in your author's opinion, helped by a catchy guitar line.  And Lou Gramm has a voice that sounds like it was made for rock.  It adds up to one of the better rock songs of the decade.

Cool trivia fact:  R.E.M. covered "Midnight Blue" on a bunch of their shows in the fall of 1987, and an audio version from one of these concerts has survived:

The Cars - Since You're Gone

Long time readers will note that we have previously posted solo videos from Ric Ocasek ("Something to Grab For') and Benjamin Orr ("Stay the Night"), so it seemed appropriate to roll out a Cars video as well.  In fact, "Since You're Gone" was on the original list of videos to be posted from August 2011, so we suppose that it's about time.

The Cars were at the forefront of the new wave scene; the band's blending of new wave, rock and pop made for interesting and radio-friendly music that justly made them stars.  The band's roots go all the way back to Columbus, Ohio in the early 1970s where Ric Ocasek (Otcasek) and  Benjamin Orr (Orzechowski) met.  Relocating to Boston, the duo went through several musical styles before becoming a new wave act with Greg Hawkes (keyboards), Elliot Easton (lead guitar) and David Robinson (drums).

In 1977, a demo recording of "Just What I Needed" caught the ear of WBCN DJ Maxanne Sartori, which led to a recording contract and tons of success.  We view the first two Cars LPs as classics, with strong songs from cover to cover.  The band's music is also noteworthy for their use of interesting rhythms and offbeat lyrics.  Sadly (for the blog), they were released in the 1970s.

"Since You're Gone" was off the Car's fourth album, 1981's Shake It Up.  This was the last Cars LP produced by Roy Thomas Baker (he did the previous three, as well as albums from Queen).  Shake It Up was more pop than new wave, and after a few years off the band returned with 1984's Heartbeat City, which was even more top 40 oriented.  At the peak of their success, the band took a break and released a half-hearted effort (1987's Door to Door) before breaking up.

Original vocalist and bass player Ben Orr died of pancreatic cancer in 2000, ending any hope of a true reunion.  However, Easton and Hawkes formed the New Cars (with Todd Rundgren, Prairie Prince, and Kasim Sulton) and released Move Like This in 2011.

Greg Kihn Band - Reunited

Greg Kihn followed up the success of 1983's "Jeopardy" (featured on ERV during our 2013 All Hallows Even extravaganza) with another catchy pop/rock song, "Reunited."  Unfortunately, the song and video did not gain traction on our favorite music video channel.  In fact,  "Reunited" did not break the top 100, while the Kihntagious album stalled at #121.

In retrospect, this is less surprising, as MTV was continuing to look for the next new thing, and Kihn's brand of straight up rock and roll may have seemed too basic.  However, "Reunited" is a totally solid song, and the video was an entertaining remake of The Wizard of Oz.

Without MTV's support, Kihn's success waned, although his 1985 LP, Citizen Kihn did reach #51 (led by the #30 single "Lucky").  However, that was his last charting alum.  Kihn continued to release albums on a regular basis through the 1990s (releases have been less regular since then), and became a DJ on San Jose's KFOX radio station for 12 years, ending in 2012.

As an extra bonus, we found a short feature on the making of "Reunited"

Cool trivia fact:  Joe Satriani was briefly a member of the Greg Kihn Band (in 1986) before he left to embark on a solo career.

Patty Smyth - Never Enough

In some ways, it is surprising that Patty Smyth didn't become a big star in the 1980s.  Of course, ERV is littered with talented bands who never became big, big stars due to bad timing or just plain old back luck.  In Smyth's case there is unsurprisingly some of each.

Patty Smyth got her start in Scandal, who were featured on ERV for the "Love's Got A Line On You" video (and demo) in November, 2013.  Scandal flirted with success, but only recorded one top 40 single prior to breaking up in 1984.  Smyth then passed on joining Van Halen as the replacement for David Lee Roth, as she was pregnant with her first child (with then-boyfriend Richard Hell).  She did sing on the Hooters 1985 LP Nervous Night (on "Where Do the Children Go") before finally releasing her first solo album in 1987.

The Never Enough album reached #66 on the charts, while the single of the same name climbed to #61.  Smyth's 1992 eponymous second album did somewhat better, helped by two top 40 singles ( "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" [with Don Henley] and "No Mistakes.")  After the 1992 album, Smyth wrote a few songs for movie soundtracks before fading from view.  In recent years, she has been a bit more active, and there was even a Scandal reunion in 2004 (and a new album in 2008).

The video for "Never Enough" is pretty standard fare, but it is still totally enjoyable.  In addition, it's a (reworked) cover of a song by Baby Grand.  (Baby Grand?)  Baby Grand featured Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (who would go on to form the Hooters in 1980).  The group released two LPs in the 1970s but obviously did not break through.  Here is the Patty Smyth version:

And the Baby Grand original:

Georgia Satellites - Battleship Chains

This is the Satellites second appearance on ERV, as the band's one big hit "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" was featured in July 2012.  "Battleship Chains" was the second single off the group's debut LP and it became a minor hit, reaching #86 on the charts.  The song was written by Terry Anderson, who was not a member of the group.  Interestingly, Anderson also wrote "I Love You Period" which hit #26 in 1992, becoming Dan Baird's only solo top 40 hit (Baird was the lead singer and guitarist for the Satellites).  Unlike most of the Satellites' songs, "Battleship" featured guitarist Rick Richards on lead vocals instead of Baird.

In contrast to "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," "Battleship Chains" is further up the rock spectrum, more Stones than Skynyrd.  In fact, that is one of the impressive aspects of the band -- they produced self-consciously retro music that was also fresh, and encompassed musical influences as diverse as the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin.  While their music was viewed as something of a curiosity in the 1980s, it has aged better than many of their contemporaries.

The black and white video starts with a scratchy record into and then intersperses shots of pawn shops and pools halls with the band.  It is damn near pitch perfect, in our humble opinion.  This is a band that should be listened to at a BBQ joint with some ribs and cold beer.  Sadly, this cutting against the grain approach made it hard for the band to maintain a high level of commercial success, and they broke up in 1990, after two follow up LPs failed to gain traction (See the "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" post for more info on the band's history.)

Lenny Kravitz - Let Love Rule

I think of Lenny Kravitz as a 1990s artist, but like Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, his first album came out in 1989.  Unlike Nine Inch Nails, Kravitz' music has a definite retro vibe; he has basically made a living with updated late 1960s/early 1970s rock and funk.  As a result, critics have panned his music as derivative.  While there is an element of truth to this, it is also unfair -- Kravitz' music has classic rock influences, but there are also modern touches, something that led to significant commercial success in the 1990s.

"Let Love Rule" was from Kravitz debut album of the same name, and it became his first charting single, at #89.  The album peaked at #61 and remains (as of this writing), Kravitz' only non-top 40 album of his entire career.  Interestingly, Kravitz has only had 4 top 40 singles, and "Are You Gonna Go My Way" was not one of them (it somehow failed to break the top 100 in the U.S.).

The video for "Let Love Rule" was directed by Lenny Kravitz' then-wife, Lisa Bonet (they divorced in 1993).  The home movie feel and use of kids was highly effective in my view and presented Kravitz as a modern hippie -- something that he didn't really shake until the success of 1993's "Are You Gonna Go My Way."

While "Let Love Rule" was a modest hit in the U.S., it really launched Kravitz in Europe, and he remains the rare artist who is probably more successful outside of his home country.

Cool trivia fact:  The video for "Let Love Rule" was nominated for MTV's best new artist award, but he didn't win -- Michael Penn did for "No Myth," which was featured on ERV in November 2012.

Honeymoon Suite - New Girl Now

"New Girl Now" is another forgotten gem, and the full video contains one of the coolest, eighties-ish intros ever put on tape.  The first 38 seconds starts with some guys doing graffiti, when a Delorean pulls up (presumably without the flux capacitor).  A blown kiss that turns into candy hearts follows (I just loved that bit), and we cut to the band on stage.

Honeymoon Suite formed in Niagara Falls, Canada in 1981, and went through several lineup changes in the early years, before settling on Johnnie Dee (vocals), Derry Grehan (guitar), Gary Lalonde (bass), Ray Coburn (keyboards) and Dave Betts (drums).

As we mentioned in the "Feel It Again" video (posted last May), "New Girl Now" launched the group's career when they won a battle of the bands on Toronto's Q107 radio station.  The self-titled debut album followed in 1984, and "New Girl Now" picked up some airplay.  The song eventually reached #57 on the charts, while the album climbed to #62.

Although the band never really broke through in the U.S., they had four charting singles, and one top 40 hit (the previously mentioned "Feel It Again.")  They had more success in their native Canada, and were a successful live act; they were the opening band on several big 1980s tours including Billy Idol, Heart and Journey.

The band remains active (with some personnel changes) as of this writing.

A special shout out to Sam on this one. (I hope that you have not seen the full intro with the Delorean).

Pat Benatar - All Fired Up

Long time ERV readers may recall that Pat Benatar's cover of The Rascals "You Better Run" was the second video posted on ERV, back in August 2011.  (Uncoincidentally, it was also the second video ever played on MTV, after The Buggles.)  In contrast, "All Fired Up" may well have been the last Pat Benatar video played on MTV during the 1980s; it was unarguably her last (of 15) top 40 hits, not counting "You Better Run," which peaked at #42 in 1980.

"All Fired Up" is off the Wide Awake in Dreamland album, which was Benatar's seventh studio LP.  It was also her last album recorded in the 1980s (and last top 30 LP).  Although it is not as strong as her first few records, it is a solid effort, though perhaps a bit formulaic.  Having said that, Benatar's strong vocals make nearly everything sound good.

The video features the long haired version of Benatar, along with guitarist/husband Neil Giraldo and drummer Myron Grombacher (who was fantastic live).  It is a performance piece, with some behind-the-scenes footage.

As savvy readers will have surmised by the labels, "All Fired Up" is also a cover.  The song was written by by Kerryn Tolhurst and recorded in 1987 by his band, Rattling Sabres.  The song was the group's biggest hit, and reached #97 on the charts in their native Australia.  Through the minor miracle that is the internet, the video is below.

Benatar's "Promises in the Dark" was also posted on ERV in March 2018.

Simple Minds - All The Things She Said

While we had thought of Simple Minds as a big time success story, it turns out that they had only a brief period of success in the U.S.  American audiences will likely remember the band's big hit, "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which hit #1 in 1985.  That song was the first of four top 40 hits in the U.S between 1985 and 1986.  And with the exception of 1991's "See The Lights," the group did not have another top 40 song in America.

In contrast, Simple Minds were stars in their native Britain, where they had 24 top 40 singles between 1982 and 1998.  They also had three #1 and two #2 albums during this period, as opposed to one top 50 album in the U.S. (1985's Once Upon a Time).

Simple Minds were formed in Glasgow, Scotland in the late 1970s.  The band's name came from the lyrics to David Bowie's 1972 hit, "The Jean Jeanie" ("He's so simple minded he can't drive his module.")  Originally an art rock band modeled after Roxy Music, they evolved into more of an artistic pop/rock band over time; "All The Things She Said" is reasonably representative of the band during the 1980s.

The video features the two key members of the band, singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill.  In fact, both of them remain with the group to the present day.  The female co-lead singer is Robin Clark, a professional backup singer.  Interestingly, Clark is married to Carlos Alomar, who played with David Bowie from 1975 to 2003.

"All The Things She Said" was the last of the four top 40 hits mentioned above -- the song reached #28, while the Once Upon a Time album hit #10.

Cool trivia fact:  The band was not eager to record "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which was brought to them by their label.  The song had already been turned down by The Fixx, Bryan Ferry, and Billy Idol, and Simple Minds also initially turned the song down before reconsidering.  However, they remained ambivalent towards it, as evidenced by the band leaving it off the Once Upon a Time album.

Cool trivia fact #2:  Lead singer Jim Kerr was married to Chrissie Hynde (of the Pretenders) from 1984 - 1990.  He subsequently was married to actress Patsy Kensit from 1992 - 1996.

The Faith Brothers - A Stranger On Home Ground

The Faith Brothers were a British pop/rock band who recorded two strong albums in the mid-1980s.  Led by their passionate and political frontman, Billy Franks, their sound contained elements of rock, pop and soul.  The band was also known for their thoughtful lyrics, which often addressed social or political issues.

The group formed in Fulham, London and released their first album, Eventide (A Hymn For Change) in 1985.  "A Stranger On Home Ground" comes from this LP (it was the second single, we believe).  A second album (A Human Sound) following in 1987, but neither record broke through commercially, and the group broke up by the end of the decade.

We don't recall hearing this back in the day, but came across it while researching the blog and enjoyed it.  This is a true rare video, from a unique band who never quite found their audience.

Cool trivia fact:  In 2009, Billy Franks was the subject of a documentary called Tribute This! where he and three friends tried to recruit 10 famous artists to do a tribute album to ... Billy Franks.  (Yes, really).

Bob Mould - See A Little Light

Best known for his work in the influential alternative band Hüsker Dü, guitarist Bob Mould continued recording and performing after Hüsker Dü's demise in 1988.  His work as a solo artist and in the band Sugar showed that his artistic growth, which began in Hüsker Dü, continued long after that group broke up.

For readers who  are unfamiliar with Hüsker Dü, they are simply one of the most important alternative artists of the 1980s.  Specifically, their migration from hardcore punk to a more melodic punk/rock sound laid the groundwork for the 1990s and influenced bands as varied as Nirvana, The Replacements and The Pixies.

"See A Little Light" is off Mould's first solo album, 1989's Workbook, which is a well-crafted and surprising record.  While Hüsker Dü's punk/rock songs had a definite pop sensibility, many listeners were probably still unprepared for the indie approach taken here.  The pop sound is front and center, with some strong folk influences added in.  Sadly, the song and album deserved better results than they achieved -- the song did not break the top 100, and the album peaked at #127.

After two softer solo records, Mould founded Sugar in 1992 and returned to a more alternative rock sound.  Sugar broke up in 1995, but Mould has remained active in the industry (with some extended breaks) to the present day.

By the by, Hüsker Dü's "Makes No Sense At All" was posted on ERV in March 2014.

Scandal - Love's Got A Line On You

Formed in 1981 by guitarist Zach Smith, Scandal had a charismatic female lead singer, a knack for writing radio-friendly pop/rock songs and a focus on videos.  This could have translated to huge success, but personnel problems plagued the band, limiting their success.

Scandal was best-know for their lead singer, Patty Smyth.  Attractive and stylish, Smyth was the perfect front woman for the band.  According to legend, Columbia signed the group based on the homemade video shot for ... "Love's Got A Line On You" (more on that later).  The debut EP would go on to become the biggest selling EP in Columbia Records' history.

The band's second LP, The Warrior, also did well, but Smyth left Scandal soon afterwards and the group broke up.

For the blog, we went with the aforementioned  "Love's Got A Line On You," from the debut EP.  The song reached #59 on the charts, making it (at the time) Scandal's highest charting single.  The video really shows off the band's MTV-friendly image.

And of course, thanks to the wonders of the internet, we have the original video (supposedly shot for $20) that helped the band get signed:

Cool trivia facts:  Scandal is a virtual treasure chest of cool facts.  Lets start with the original video above (the inexpensive one).  Does the rhythm guitarist look familiar?  If you guessed that it was Jon Bon Jovi, well, it is.  Two years before his MTV breakout "Runaway," he was kicking around the New York recording scene and worked with the band.  Supposedly, the drummer is none other than Clem Burke (best known for his work with Blondie, although he also played with The Romantics during much of the 1990s).

Scandal is also a one hit wonder (this really surprised us).  While "The Warrior" was a #7 hit, they did not have another top 40 single.  "Goodbye To You" hit #65, "Love's Got A Line On You" reached #59 and both "Hands Tied" and "Beat of a Heart" peaked at ... #41.

Some readers may recall that Patty Smyth (who was pregnant at the time) was asked to join Van Halen; she turned it down and the gig went to Sammy Hagar.  By the way, Patty Smyth's "Never Enough" video (which was a cover) was posted on ERV in April 2014.

Lastly (and sadly), the original members of the band have not fared well in recent years.  The band's original bassist, drummer and keyboardist have all passed away.

Greg Kihn Band - Jeopardy

The Greg Kihn Band was a solid working group that had some meaningful success in the early 1980s with three top 40 albums and three top 40 singles.  While Kihn was originally from Baltimore, he moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s to work in the music industry.  By 1976 Kihn had a band and a recording contract.

Success came slowly for the band, who played constantly as they built a following.  Their first real breakthrough was 1981's "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)," which reached #15 on the singles chart.  However, they are probably best-known for "Jeopardy" from their 1983 Kihnspiracy LP (yes, Kihn has a thing for puns as album titles).

The wild, surreal video quickly gained traction on MTV and helped propel the song to the #2 slot on the charts (behind Michael Jackson's "Beat It").  While the song isn't spooky, the video, complete with skeletons, zombies and a giant, tentacled monster seemed like a great fit for our All Hallows Eve videos.

Although Kihn has not had a charting single since 1986, he remains active in the music industry.  He was also a DJ on KFOX in San Jose, California for 16 years (he and the station parted ways in 2012).

The Greg Kihn Band's rarer (and excellent) "Reunited" was posted on ERV in April 2014.

Ramones - Pet Sematary

Written for the Stephen King movie of the same (intentionally misspelled) name, "Pet Sematary" would go on to become one of the Ramones bigger radio hits.  The song would reach #4 on the Modern Rock charts, while the Brain Drain album peaked at #122.  In spite of this success, neither the song nor the album were well-regarded by critics, who viewed the song as more hard rock than punk.  [Readers who are so inclined should contrast "Pet Sematary" with "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker," which was also used in the Pet Sematary movie.]

While this criticism is valid, "Pet Sematary" still manages to combine a Stephen King horror flick with the Ramones, making it a fantastic Halloween video.  In fact, it was a match made in horror heaven, as King is a big fan of the Ramones.

The video combines scenes from the movie with the band playing in a ... well, cemetery.  While there a bunch of actors, fog machines, and graves also present, there really isn't much more to the video (although we did appreciate the fact that the band is buried in the end).

By the by, the Ramones were featured on ERV last August with "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" which is well worth checking out.

Saga - Wind Him Up

Way back in the dark days of August 2011 (when we started ERV), the first thing that we did was to compile a list of 35 or so potential videos for the blog, most of which have already appeared.  One name on the list was Saga.  So after sitting in the bullpen for more than two years, the Canadian progressive rock band finally gets its turn.  [As an aside, the bullpen list now has 216 names, and continues to grow.]

Saga formed in Oakville, Ontario (near Toronto) in 1977 and were originally called Pockets.  They released their first record in 1978 and gradually built an audience in their homeland.  The group's third LP, Silent Knight (1980) even charted in Canada (#42), although they remained relatively unknown in the U.S.

This all changed in 1981 when they released the Worlds Apart album.  Two videos from the record went into heavy rotation on your favorite video music channel and Saga became an early MTV success story.  The Worlds Apart LP reached #29 in the U.S. (#22 in Canada), while "Wind Him Up" (#64) and "On the Loose" (#26) both charted.  Saga even won the Juno Award for Most Promising Group of the Year in 1982 (regular ERV readers will now shake their heads knowingly ... another example of the cursed nature of a best new anything award).

Unfortunately, the band's commercial success did not last, but Saga has remained a working band and continues to regularly release albums and tour.  They remain particularly popular in Germany, Scandinavia and Puerto Rico.  As of this writing, Saga has released 21 studio albums and remains active in the industry.

For the blog, we went with "Wind Him Up," an early story video.  While the video was clearly shot on a budget, the band's dramatic flair and storytelling were ahead of their time, and helped generate traction on MTV.

Arc Angel - Tragedy

Arc Angel (not to be confused with The Arc Angels, the 1990s blues rock band) was an early 1980s  AOR band.  Though they were talented, the group never quite found its audience and broke up after just one LP.

The band was comprised of Jeff Cannata and Michael Soldan, who had previously been in Jasper Wrath, a locally famous Connecticut progressive rock band.  After Jasper Wrath broke up in 1976, Cannata and Soldan continued to work together and eventually secured a recording contract as Arc Angel.  The record was put together using studio musicians; while the video appears to show a band, Arc Angel was in fact a Cannata and Soldan project.

Although Arc Angel was not a success, "Tragedy" from their 1983 eponymous debut album did pick up some radio play.  However, we don't recall ever seeing the video at the time.  While the music did not break any new ground, it was a well-produced slice of album rock and we think the band deserved more success than they found.

After Arc Angel, Jeff Cannata remained in the industry, and released records under the Cannata name.  Arc Angel (with Michael Soldan) also released a second album in 2002, called Tamorok.

Cool trivia fact:  the intro (backwards) lyrics are "Never gonna slip away."

Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny

Tommy Tutone was a solid, straight-ahead rock band who came up with the killer single that most bands dream about.  That song, "867-5309/Jenny" shot to #4 on the charts and helped make Tommy Tutone 2 a #20 LP.  Interestingly, that was not Tommy Tutone's only top 40 hit (although they are often considered a one hit wonder) ... but more on that later.

The Northern California band was led by lead singer Tommy Heath and guitarist Jim Keller.  The group was originally called Tommy and the Tu-tones; this eventually was shortened to Tommy Tutone.  While there is some mythology around the song, it was simply a made-up story as there was no Jenny.  The song was co-written by Jim Keller (Tommy Tutone) and Alex Call (who also wrote "Perfect World" for Huey Lewis and the News and "Little Too Late" for Pat Benatar).

As alluded to before, Tommy Tutone had a minor hit in 1980 with "Angel Say No," which was our first choice for the blog.  However, it does not appear that a video was ever made for that song, so we put up an audio clip on the ERV Facebook page.  "Angel Say No," from Tommy Tutone's 1980 self-titled debut album, peaked at #38.

Unfortunately, the band's third album, 1983's National Emotion, barely broke the top 200 album charts and the group broke up.  Jim Keller remained in the industry, while Tommy Health apparently left the music business for a time.  They both have occasionally recorded and performed, and we believe that Tommy Heath has a version of Tommy Tutone together as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  The actress in "867-5390/Jenny" is Karen Morton, Playboy's Playmate of the month for July 1978.  For those who are interested, there is an interview with her on the Noblemania blog.

The Police - Don't Stand So Close to Me

One of our favorite aspects of researching ERV is encountering a video so rare that even we haven't seen it.  The unreleased Guns N' Roses video for "It's So Easy" (previously featured on ERV) would be one such example.  And the first Police video (below) for "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is another.

The Police released five strong albums over a six year period, and are one of the few rock bands who did not release a bad album, in your author's opinion.  While we favor the first three LPs, even the weaker Police material is extremely strong.  The band successfully combined elements of punk, new wave, traditional rock, jazz and even reggae into their songs.  In addition, they became huge stars, and have sold some 50 million units.

"Don't Stand So Close to Me" was off the superb third Police album, 1980's Zenyatta Mondatta.  Recording between tours, the album was completed in roughly four weeks.  Subsequently, the band has criticized the album as being rushed, but many critics (including the folks at ERV) believe that it is one of the strongest rock records ever made.

The first (rare) video was recorded at the same time as the video for "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da."  The recording took place in late November 1980 in Grey Rock, Quebec.  Although the vid was shown on the BBC's Top of the Pops around the same time, it has since become almost totally forgotten.

The second video of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is the standard video, and it was recorded later.  We remember seeing this one on HBO's Video Jukebox, probably in 1981.  It features Sting in his Beat (English Beat to Americans) t-shirt.

As many readers will know, the Police never officially broke up, but they simply went their separate ways (for the most part) after their 1984 Synchronicity tour.  A 1986 attempt to re-record their greatest hits was aborted and only remakes of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (released at the time) and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (rare but released later) were done.  They did re-form for a 2007 - 2008 reunion tour, but have not released any new material since 1983's Synchronicity.

Andy Taylor - Take it Easy

By 1985 Duran Duran were huge stars, but the years of recording and touring had taken their toll on the band.  The group decided to take a break to recharge, but the members' free time soon led to two side projects.  Andy and John Taylor went for a rock/dance sound with the Power Station (with Tony Thompson and Robert Palmer), while Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor formed Arcadia, which focused on more atmospheric pop.

The Power Station LP became a huge success, reaching #6 on the album charts and spawning three top 40 hits ("Some Like It Hot" (#6), "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" (#9) and "Communication" (#34).)  While Robert Palmer soon left the band to continue his solo career, the new sound interested Andy Taylor and he left Duran Duran in 1986 to pursue a solo career.

His first solo project involved working on the soundtrack of American Anthem, and he eventually contributed three songs to the film's soundtrack.  "Take It Easy" (no relation to the Eagles song) was released as a single and did well, reaching #24 on the charts.  Sadly, this would be Andy Taylor's only top 40 solo hit, as his 1987 album (Thunder) did not do terribly well.  Taylor then moved on to producing, although he continued to perform and record both as a solo artist and with Duran Duran (he officially rejoined the band from 2001 - 2006).

While American Anthem was not a huge hit, it did feature Mitch Gaylord (best known for leading the 1984 U.S. men's gymnastics team to a gold medal) and Janet Jones (best known for marrying Wayne Gretzky).  The video, blending Taylor's band with clips from the film, is a highly entertaining mid-1980s video.

Cool trivia fact:  The rhythm section for the song and video for "Take It Easy" featured Terry Bozzio on drums and Patrick O'Hearn on bass -- they both had been in Missing Persons and were now unemployed, as that band broke up in 1986.

Honeymoon Suite - Feel It Again

"Feel It Again" was Honeymoon Suite's only top 40 U.S. hit, and it remains something of a guilty pleasure for me. The band originally formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Canada and chose the band's name based on the fact that a lot of couples honeymoon in Niagara Falls.

The group's big break came when "New Girl Now" helped them win a 1983 unsigned band contest held by Toronto radio station Q107.  Honeymoon Suite soon had a recording contract and released their self-titled debut album in 1984.  While they were not superstars, they had a bunch of success in Canada, with 14 charting singles, 8 of which went top 40.  The U.S. market proved tougher to crack, although they did have three other top 100 songs aside from "Feel It Again."

While we have often lumped the band together with Helix (another Canadian hard rock band), Honeymoon Suite was more polished (poppy?) and less metal than Helix.  [Helix has already appeared on ERV with their ballad "Deep Cuts the Knife," so interested readers can decide for themselves.]

The video for "Feel It Again" is awesomely cheesy, and uses some wonderfully dated special effects, which generated some airplay back in the day.  (We are particularly partial to the dog on treadmill effect at 1:06.)  The song ended up as a modest hit, reaching #34 in the U.S. (#16 in Canada) while their LP The Big Prize peaked at #61.  The band's mainstream success faded after the early 1990s, but they continue to perform and record as of this writing (though there have been some personnel changes).

Cool trivia facts:  Honeymoon Suite won the 1986 Canadian Juno Award for Group of the Year.  The group also performed the title cut for the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon.